To understand the nature of certain phenomenon is always useful to analyse it from different perspectives. In this blog I have been sharing my input on artificial intelligence from a very research-wise and serious point of view, and today I will expose how this topic is seen in the field of art, specifically in films. These approach will try to closely observe how AI is seen by society and how these ideas expressed in different films and series are close to reality. Always have in mind: Reality often surpasses fiction.
1.SkyNet (Terminator)
Elon Musk started a project called Neuralink to ‘avoid A.I. from becoming other’, said “There have been movies about this, you know, like Terminator. There are some scary outcomes. And we should try to make sure the outcomes are good, not bad.” To put this into perspective, in the movie, SkyNet is a superintelligence system that spread into millions of computer servers across the world. After this the system becomes self-aware of what surrounded it and of its true potential, which turned into a concern for the creators that materialize when they tried to deactivate it. But the system went into self-protection mode and actually became a threat for humanity since it began to try to exterminate everyone once and for all.
But this get worse: To prevent human error in any use of military hardware and nuclear weapon owned by the United States, the government decided to put The SkyNet system in charge of these properties. However, after deciding to end humanity, the SkyNet system goes about starting nuclear wars. And now to avoid having feeling-driven people, one of the most important and powerful countries in the world had completely the opposite in charge: a cold-hearted and Maquiavellian system.
It would be considered logical to ask ourselves, “Why wouldn’t a robot with no emotional impulse be safer than our egomaniac leaders?” well rest assure, mercy is between our emotional impulses, and is something that we want for someone who has to only press a button in order to kill us all.
2.I-Robot
During this movie we get to see Will Smith fighting robots which disobeyed command and took over everything and everyone. These robots were meant to serve humanity, and to obey the Three Laws of Robotics, which go as follows:
- 1.A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- 2.A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- 3.A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
Society, in fact, was entitled to a NS-5 robot per person to make their life a little bit more safe, fun and easy until the mother ship computer decided to command all other robots to disobey and turn against people
Is no secret that everyone will want a life like that, because actually everybody gets up in the morning in order to live a little better, and the idea of having robots fulfill that objective doesn’t sound as crazy, but we need to be careful because machines might as well want us for their benefit or start a revolution just like any honorable sentient. And even if governments implement regulations and rules, I mean come on: Revolution does not care about nothing that is written in any paper. And this movie show it to us.
3.Metalhead (Black Mirror, Season 4)
Based on the “Boston Dynamics videos crossed with the film All Is Lost”, the episode focused on the aftermath of the fall of humanity and the situation of a character called, “Bella” who desperately tries to run from a really, really scary robot. This whole idea and development is really exaggerated but the concept of these robot made to fight, jump, run, escape, fly and any other physical skill is actually a reality. For example, a portion of United Arab Emirates´ police is occupied by robots. And let’s face it, if an army of robot dogs (As shown in the episode) or any other type of army was developed for good, and either corrupted or altered for a darker purpose, what on earth could stop them? The real life prototypes have impressed everyone with their remarkable balance, speed, etc. But yet again, what if one of these prototypes is ordered to be against you? To injure you? To kill you? I may suppose is not as cool.
Danger itself is what describes the perspective of art and society over AI. What do you think about it?
Today's science-fiction. 